“When you engage your customers, you draw them closer to your brand, your business, your organization. And that’s when the magic starts to happen.”

And, you know what? We couldn’t have put it better ourselves!

How do you engage your visitors?

Your content should act almost like a movie. It should take your users on a journey and connect with them on an emotional level.

Now, you don’t want them to cry like they do when they watch ‘Marley and Me’ or ‘Old Yeller’ (it’s something about dogs that makes us teary). Instead, you want your content to resonate with your users so much that they think “I want some of that”.

To do this, you need to choose the right topics and hit the pain-points your readers want to be fixed.

There are also a few trick words and phrases you can use to improve your engagement rates right now!

After all, using the right words can transform your content and the response your audience has to it. Try using these top five words wherever you can, and you’ll see a big difference in visitor engagement!

5 words to improve engagement rates

The following words are key components of conversion copywriting. They subtly nudge the visitor to the next stage of their journey.

However, you must be careful not to use them too often. If you do, you could come across as pushy and that’s not a characteristic you want for your brand!

1. You

Content marketing isn’t really about the brand or product. It’s about customers and finding a solution to help them.

That’s why using direct address and saying “you” can be so effective. It helps the audience imagine themselves doing what you say and apply it to their own situation.

It also helps create a personal connection with the reader. The word “you” makes them feel like you’ve written the piece just for them – even though (hopefully) hundreds of people will visit the same page.

2. Free

Let’s face it; everyone loves free stuff! Bag something for free and you feel like you’ve got a bargain and one over on everyone else.

Including the word ‘free’ in your written copy gives the reader a little buzz that will hook them into your content and keep them reading.

It will also instil a feeling of gratitude and loyalty towards your brand, as your readers will feel like you’ve made a sacrifice. But, don’t worry, you don’t have to – if the free thing is written content, it probably wasn’t too expensive to create. It only needs to be valuable to the reader if it’s going to improve engagement rates.

One more thing; don’t use qualifiers like ‘almost’ or ‘absolutely’ when using this word. The former dilutes the power and the latter pushes too hard. Simply the word ‘free’ on its own will be just fine!

3. Proven

Readers are looking for a brand and solution they can trust. The word ‘proven’ suggests that there’s evidence of your success, so instantly makes you more trustworthy (even if there’s no actual proof in the text)!

Build up trusting relationships and you’ll elevate your brand to the level of authority or thought leader. Your audience will see you as a dependable and reliable source of information, so will engage with more of your content. Eventually, this is likely to lead to a purchase, so keep going!

4. Imagine

Storytelling is a big thing in content marketing. After all, stories stick in the mind much more than “buy this product because …” does.

Combine the power words ‘imagine’ and ‘you’, and you’ll improve engagement rates by immersing your reader in their own story. They’ll automatically picture themselves as the protagonist. Here’s an example:

“Imagine you have a gorgeous, black puppy called Jack. He’s playful and friendly, but also very hungry. What food should you get him? Something packed full of chemicals with a hefty price tag? Or delicious, organic food tailored to your pup’s needs?”

Don’t lie … did you picture playing with a puppy when you read this? And did you feel just a little involved in his wellbeing? If you wanted the best option for him, you’re likely to have chosen the organic option.

By using “imagine you”, you are put into a scenario and the associated content becomes far easier to relate to. Result!

5. Secret

Do you remember getting really frustrated when you were in the school playground and there was a kid singing “I know something you don’t know”?

Well, it could just be us, but it’s human nature to want to be let in on a secret. In short, we’re a nosy species that doesn’t like being left out.

As copywriters, we can use this to our advantage and boost engagement rates. By including the word “secret” in your content’s title, you’re bound to see an increase in click-through rates.

Curiosity will get the better of your followers and they’ll be itching to know what that secret is!

So, there you have it; five words that can improve engagement rates in a flash. Why not try them today?